Electrical socket



April 1951 H. w. WELLINGTOQ 2,550,177

, ELECTRICAL SOCKET Filed Dec. 6, 1946 I INVENTOR.

; orbygimplication as a limitat onlof my finv Patented Apr. 24,1951

chanism if detective canbe readily replaced without possible injury to a plerson -or even shutting on as a safety measure 'the source of electrical energy.

It thereforei s an object of this invention to provide an electrical socket that can be readily ir y Y,

It is a furtherobject of-this invention to pro- .vide an electrical socket that can be safely repaired while the live circuit is alive.

A s'till further object of my invention is to provide an fficient electrical socket with an internal switch mechanism that can be readily and economically made on present type of manufacturing equipment. o

- An additional object of myiinvention'is to pro- Qvide a'switch-mechanism that in combination with my improved socket canbe readily inserted into a -live circuit with absolute safety and freedom of bodily harm that is inherently characteristic when such repairs are attempted with conventional electrically alive sockets.

Th se andsth r obje ts adaptations, variations, modifications and extensions of my invention can be readilyimprovised and constructed by a person skilled in this art, and which pariticularlyyin .zview-cf the clear and lucid description given hereinbelow, should be considered as being with-inthe-orbit andcon-finespf the concepts of the fundamental principles of my invention. Nevertheless, for purposes of this disclosure, a clear descriptive illustration 'otone or more of several possible species andvariations will be; given for purely 'exerriplary' purposes. Under, no conditions shall it be construed directly ention the appended which is defined and limitedby claim given 'hereinbelow,

Tqjurther illustrate. and clearly show the r undamental concepts underlying my inve ntion,

the attached drawingstfprmin'g a par of, this disclosure; show the application; of my invention as related to an electrical socket.

In Figure 1, there is shown the external appearanceof my improved socket which to all outward appearance is quite similar to the standard type.

Figure 2 shows a partially exploded view of the essential components of my improved socket and in combination therewith the switch mechanism.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken thru the socket, but showing therein and in combination lengths. U

ting contact thereby 2. 12 "CTERICALSQCKE'I nary W. wellingttitfohiagii iijiiiiiitaiiii n mter 6, h s, sat 1015151. (01. tann ns) therewith, m y imprcved switch-mechanism. It also shows a spring coil that .assists in expelling the. socket mechanism and simultaneously .cut-

tacting points. A

Figure 41s an. end view ofuthe replaceable switch unit. V

Figure 5 is a modificationnf a retaining means to keep the replaceablesocketin place when it is usedin an inverted :position as in case of table lamps, etc a Figure 6 is a view of another means that can with the live circuit conbe u sed :to hold the replaceable socket in positionagainst the iemalepart of the outer shell.

[Figure 7 is a partial sectional view of themterior 0fthe upper :part of the socket casing and the switch :mec'hanism contacting portion in =which are=two contacting elements of different 2- 0 thru portl2 and fasten them to the contact screws 14. The latter are threaded into proper inserts i6 which-are; molded integrally or otherwise formed w ithin-the casingof thesocket 2|]. The socket ZlLconsists of two portions, an upper portion t8 and a lower portion zsa The-upper portion; F8 of the socketfhas a series of threads 22 at the lowerpart thercof W-hich are engaged within a complementary series of threads 24 found within the upper top of the inner side of the chamber 26. The top -'portion l8 at one side thereoi has a customary recess 30 to provide an outlet for the pull chain 32 or other mechanism :b rlovided to turn on and off the electrical power.

The switch :mechanism 32 is of the conventional type but in combination therewith I place therein the elements that are essential to my invention. In the improved switch mechanism I provide one or more spring like members .34 substantially formed 'as shown .inlF 'igures 2, 3, 4 and 7. In the exploded view (Figure 2,) as well as the modification in Figure 7, the springlike members members 34 willhave a tendency to separate and eject the switch mechanism 32 from the upper portion [8 of the socket. This action occurs when the lower part 28 of the socket 20 is disengaged from external threads 22 of the upper part l8. When this is done, the springs 34 force outwardly or upwardly the switch mechanism 32 and it can be readily removed from the socket 20. If the switch mechanism is defective, it can be readily replaced by another, and the socket is again functioning.

If the socket is used in an inverted position, that is the open end is facing downwardly or where it can be readily turned over, then the switch mechanism 32 can be readily removed since it will fall by action of gravity. Thus it can be replaced with a new switch mechanism even while the electrical current is on. However, if the socket cannot be readily removed by gravity then it is desirable to use other modifications to eject the switch mechanism. If the current is on, then the switch is alive and obviously-it cannot be picked off for the fear of injury to the person. In this case, I prefer to place two Simi-.'

lar shaped spring like members 34, except that one of these is sufliciently longer 34a so that when the lower portion'28 of the socket is unscrewed, the switch mechanism 32 will be forced upwardly by the spring elements 34. ISince one of these elements 34a'is longer than the other, it is then obvious that the electrical circuit thru lines It will be broken, for the shorter spring element 34 will not be in contact with the contact screws 14. If it is desired to mount the said' spring like members of unequal length on the terminal screws I4, the same action will occur. The spring of the longer length will carry the switch mechanism 32 higher and thus break the circuit in the switch mechanism 32.

Though it is possible to fasten the spring like members 34 and 34a to the socket casing upper part lead screws Hi, I prefer to use them in the position shown in Figure 7. Spring members made of brass, copper or other electrically conducting materials in due course of time, lose their elasticity and temper, and ordinarily are the source of trouble.

There are obviously other means of accomplishing the same object once a person skilled in this art is given an opportunity to .understand the principles involved and the fundamental concepts underlying my invention. As another illustration of the principles but not a limitation thereof, I may if I desire, in place of said unequal length spring like members 34 and 34a, use equal lengths and place between the socket upper portion roof and the top of switch mechanism 32 a spring 38 which will act the same way and will be capable of ejecting the switch mechanism away from contact with the line leads ID. This spring 38 (shown as another modification in Figure 3) is made of quartz rod, glass, plastic or some other non-conducting material and which is capable of having spring characteristics;

Another means that can be utilized not only with the unequal arm spring elements principle, but also independently thereof is a spring means 40, which retains the switch mechanism 32 when thelower portion 28 of socket is unscrewed. As it is unscrewed, the spring bayonet clip 40 will hold the switch mechanism threads 48 and remove it simultaneously. Likewise, another clip 42' having a lip 44 and serrations 46 can be inserted into the junction between the socket halves and act in the same way. The serrations 46 engage the bulb threads 48 of the switch mechanism and thus the switch is removed when the lower half of the socket is removed.

Quite obviously, there are a number of variations that one skilled in the art can be expected to devise in light of this disclosure, and it therefore is not my intention to be limited thereby except in accordance with the claim appended hereinbelow which defines the ambit and scope of the fundamental concepts underlying my invention.

I claim: a

An improved electrical socket comprising an outer casing, the said casing comprising at least two parts, a means thereon to hold said parts in closed relationship, a means in one of said parts to fasten thereto electrical wire leads, a switch means within the said casing, expulsion type spring means in electrically contacting juxtaposition with the said wire leads and said switch,

one of said spring .means being longer than others, whereby the electrical circuit in the switch mechanism is broken by the unequal expansion of the longer spring when the casing parts are disjointed.

HARRY W. WELLINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are 'of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Austria Apr. 10, 1925 Great Britain May 2, 1922 Germany May 11, 1932 Number Number 

